Telehealth use up by more than 50%

In their annual health care indicators report, FAIR Health found that telehealth use jumped 53% from 2016 to 2017, outpacing all other sites of care.

The rise in telehealth adoption corresponded to a drop in emergency department use, though the ER was still the most-used setting.

Other key findings include:

• Telemedicine utilization grew nearly twice as fast in urban than rural areas over that span
• National use of urgent-care centers increased 14%, followed by retail clinics at 7% and ambulatory surgery centers at 6%, while emergency department utilization declined 2%
• Private insurance claims for telehealth services increased more than 1,200% from 2012 to 2017
• In 2017, most people used telehealth for injuries like bruises and open wounds, acute respiratory infections and digestive problems. Mental health, which topped the telehealth utilization list in 2016, was fifth in 2017.

Read the full report, FH Healthcare Indicators® and FH Medical Price Index® 2019. 

Partners HealthCare On Demand
Recently, AllWays Health Partners launched a telemedicine service in collaboration with Partners HealthCare. Currently exclusive to our members, the service allows patients to have an interactive video visit for urgent care services 24/7 through an online portal or an iPhone or Android app. In most cases, the cost is the same or lower than an office visit. 

Watch our demo to learn more.